Freddy Cuellar, of Whittier, shoots baskets on the basketball court at
Palm Park in Whittier on Tuesday December 29, 2009. Whittier city
officials recently released a $64 million park needs study that
included $30,000 to repair the basketball courts at the park.

WHITTIER – The city is completely overhauling its park-improvement fee after developers refused to pay it.

At the height of the housing market two years ago, city law dictated that developers pay more than $20,000 per house or condominium into a fund to improve the city’s parks.

But developers balked at what they saw as an outrageous fee. Even some city officials call the fee “out of line,” and admitted it was one of the highest in the area.

Builders of two condominium projects along Whittier Boulevard negotiated with the city and ended up agreeing to pay less than one-third of the amount spelled out by city law.

Now, Whittier has set out to create a master list of needs for the city’s parks, which would help determine a fair surcharge to developers.

“We need a legally defensible fee based on projects we would like to do,” City Manager Steve Helvey said.

To date, Whittier has created a $64 million wish list of potential park projects.

The list calls for buying more park land, improving handicapped access and upgrades and expansions at 18 of the city’s 19 parks. It also calls for improvements to community and senior centers.

The list has yet to go before the City Council for final approval.

“This is like a dream list of everything we could do for the parks,” said Fran Shields, director of community services. “This includes everything we could think of we would want for the parks.”

The biggest price tags on the list include $4.2 million for a teen center, $2.7 million for three projects at the Walnut Senior Center, $2 million to purchase land for three neighborhood parks in the Uptown area, $2 million to expand the Community Center and $1.5 million to purchase land to expand York Field.

It also includes $3 million to allow the city to meet the federal Americans with Disabilities standards.

A proposal is expected to go before the council this month.

The park needs study remains a work in progress, Shields said.

“Some of those items are so far- reaching that I don’t know if they would stay on the list,” she said.

Mayor Bob Henderson said the study needs more work.

“I was disappointed it didn’t focus on new parks we will need in the future,” Henderson said. “We need more sports fields.”

The list is too focused on maintenance, he said.

“I want something beyond … (the) status quo,” he said. “I want to see us improve the quality of (service) by adding more.”

Mike Sprague started at the Whittier Daily News in April 1984. Since then, Sprague has covered every city in the Whittier Daily News circulation area, as well as political and water issues. Sprague received a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree in political science, both from Cal State Fullerton.